What If Indiana Jones 3 Was a Haunted Mansion Movie Instead?

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During his thrilling escapades, Indiana Jones demonstrated an impressive array of feats. From battling Nazis, dealing with extraterrestrial entities, to time-traveling adventures, it appeared that Dr. Jones had no bounds to his abilities. This openness encouraged the filmmakers to explore new territories when crafting the next adventure for this iconic character. Generally speaking, Spielberg and Lucas did just that while working on the franchise, but they didn’t always see eye-to-eye regarding the storyline. While it is well-known that Spielberg initially opposed the inclusion of aliens in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there was another instance where he rejected one of Lucas’ ideas.

While they were creating what would later be known as “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Lucas harbored an idea that ultimately remained unrealized. Despite having a script for this concept, Spielberg vetoed it because it would have taken him back to well-trodden ground.

How Poltergeist Impacted Indiana Jones 3

Initially, during the planning stages for what would eventually become Indiana Jones 3, George Lucas contemplated making a haunted house the central theme. Diane Thomas, who later wrote Romancing the Stone, was recruited to pen the screenplay and she finished a first draft before her untimely death in a car accident in October 1985. This early script was completed several years prior to the release of a third Indiana Jones movie.

The movie titled “Romancing the Stone” was a popular action-adventure film that resembled “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” making it enticing to imagine an Indiana Jones movie penned by Thomas. However, Spielberg decided to take a different path, as he wasn’t fond of the haunted mansion concept because it bore too much resemblance to the 1982 horror hit “Poltergeist” that he co-wrote and produced. The premieres of “Poltergeist” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” were seven years apart, but it seems the development for the third Indiana Jones film may have started as early as 1984 or 1985, a time when “Poltergeist” was still fresh in Spielberg’s memory. Given the recent success of “Poltergeist,” it’s not surprising that he wasn’t keen on making another haunted house movie right away.

As a dedicated cinephile, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the plot details for Thomas’ interpretation of Indiana Jones 3. Interestingly, some elements from this mysterious version seem to have found their way into an abandoned script titled Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, penned by Chris Columbus. This intriguing narrative opens with Indy in Scotland, probing into a string of peculiar deaths. In collaboration with local villagers, he delves into a castle teeming with supernatural phenomena. The ghost of the castle’s laird is but one of the eerie encounters our intrepid hero experiences within these haunted walls. This brief glimpse offers us a tantalizing sneak peek into Thomas’ vision (and we can only speculate on how much Columbus adapted in his draft). Essentially, it provides fans with a clearer image of what Indiana Jones and the Haunted Mansion could have been.

During the progression of the third Indiana Jones movie, it was Steven Spielberg who successfully persuaded George Lucas to alter his initial decision regarding the film’s key element that ultimately shaped its character.

George Lucas Was Hesitant About Introducing Indy’s Father

During the development of Indiana Jones 3, Spielberg proposed a unique twist: Indy would embark on an adventure alongside his father. Initially, Lucas had reservations, fearing that the father-son relationship might divert attention from the primary focus – the quest for the Holy Grail. However, Spielberg convinced him by explaining that he intended to seamlessly integrate family drama with the hunt for the Grail. Given Spielberg’s history of depicting fractured families in his films before and after The Last Crusade, it’s not surprising that the character of Dr. Henry Jones Sr. was one of his most substantial contributions to the storyline.

Instead of envisioning Indiana Jones exploring a spooky mansion, it’s hard to conceive of the franchise without Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr. His on-screen rapport with Harrison Ford was flawless, adding a unique touch that set Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade apart from other films in the series. This installment is often considered the most emotionally resonant, as Indy reconnects with his father, forging an even stronger bond between them than ever before.

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2025-04-06 19:40